


beep-beep

by fruti2flutie



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, this is not a good trend 4 me, why am i always trash when i post on ao3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 21:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4364015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruti2flutie/pseuds/fruti2flutie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Receiving a wrong number is one thing, but befriending the stranger it belongs to is something entirely unexpected for a mostly reserved college student. It’s a confusing (and fun) time for shy Kim Jongin, who may have left his heart on the other end of the line.</p>
            </blockquote>





	beep-beep

**Author's Note:**

> i have no excuses for this mess. its self-indulgent & half of it is just tropes that im weak for. also too many pokemon references & other dweeby things. the original idea for this inspired me like a year ago by my friend giving me her phone # wrong tWICE and me contacting those #s tWICE IM STILL NOT OVER IT. anyway something went horribly wrong and things spiralled out of control and, well. like i said, this is a mess. enjoy???
> 
> here are my [tumblr writings](http://whateverbroski.tumblr.com/tagged/fanfiction-stuff) if u wanna see some of my other non-ao3 things and [ask.fm](http://ask.fm/fruti2flutie) if u wanna chat w/ me

Five minutes have passed, the movie is going to start soon, and Jongin still hasn't taken his eyes off his phone. "So what you're saying is... this _isn't_ your number?" he asks hesitantly.

Baekhyun nods, pointing to the bright screen. "You switched those two digits around, see?" He chews on the tip of his straw, quite obnoxiously. "Your fingers must've slipped or something, when I gave it to you last week. How come you only noticed now?"

"I don't use my phone a lot, but I asked you earlier about an assignment for macroeconomics that's due tomorrow." Jongin frowns as he stares at the _5_ (which should actually be an _8_ ) inserted under Baekhyun's name in his contact list. "And... you texted me back when I texted you," he mutters, confused.

"Uh, no. My phone's in my bag, silent mode — movie theater common courtesy. And, dude, that's _not_ my number," insists Baekhyun. "I wouldn't've even been able to—" The glint in his eye radiates as he closes in, leering, "Is some stranger playing with you?"

Jongin sputters, quickly shaking his head, "No way! I know that my phone is completely safe from... evil-doers." He clutches his precious iPhone in both his hands, defensive. Meekly, he asks, "People can't hack phones, can they?"

Baekhyun huffs, "Hackers can do _anything_ nowadays."

"Oh."

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun slaps Jongin on the shoulder and lets out a scoff. "Don't worry your pretty little head." The theater lights dim and he reassures, quieter, "Whoever your mystery responder is, they're probably harmless."

Jongin sighs — well, he can't do anything about it now. He turns off his phone and shoves it into his pocket, redirecting his attention to the screen. As the first preview comes onto the screen, he can subtly hear Baekhyun murmur, "I should've taken a piss earlier."

—

Half past one a.m., Jongin arrives back at his dorm apartment and feels like fresh road kill. Baekhyun had decided on a whim to attend Chanyeol's birthday party after the movie — despite the fact that they're tentative ex-boyfriends, Chanyeol's birthday isn't for another month, and Jongin hates Chanyeol's guts. But there were tiny umbrella drinks and at least three platters of mini fruit tarts there, so Jongin can't say he _completely_ regrets attending. Nonetheless, there are still things that Jongin regrets very much — like walking the completely shitfaced Baekhyun home, letting Baekhyun puke in someone's bushes, having to apologize to the owner of said bushes on behalf of the semiconscious Baekhyun, etc. Overall, it was a normal Saturday night for Byun Baekhyun.

For Kim Jongin, though, it had been physically and mentally exhausting to keep up with his companion. Jongin normally takes time off these days to rest, play videogames, or watch some anime. Today had been rough for him — he hadn't done any of that. Poor, poor Jongin.

After he locks the front door, Jongin shuffles over and collapses onto the couch, not even bothering to turn on the light. His dorm mate, a transfer student from China, should be asleep and presentably dead to the world, so Jongin can make as much noise as possible without causing Yixing move an inch. It's a blessing on nights like this, when Jongin does nothing but moan into the couch cushions to relieve his petty frustrations.

From his pocket, there comes a distinct vibration that alerts Jongin to an incoming text. The brightness of his screen stings his eyes, so he lowers it firstly and then checks who would've contacted him at such a late hour. It's Baekhyun.

Wait, not _really_ Baekhyun. Jongin hasn't corrected the error yet, so it's that Mystery Responder. Jongin considers not checking it, but the notification would bother him too much and, honestly, what's the harm? Hopefully the stranger has texted something appropriate and SFW.

_did you get home from the party okay?_

Jongin stares at the message, blinking slowly. Why is this stranger asking him this? The last text they sent to Jongin was in response to that homework assignment, terse and clear-cut, but this is something personal! How could they have known Jongin was at Chanyeol's—

Oh, _that_ 's why. Upon seeing his latest sent messages, Jongin discovers that at some point in the night, he had begun to text the Mystery Responder, probably thinking it was truly Baekhyun during his slight stupor. The messages are mainly of Jongin's fairly vague and awestruck observations throughout his journey in Chanyeol's massive house, accompanied by the typical swiped misspellings and emojis. The last message he had sent was a simple farewell text, telling Baekhyun that he was leaving the party. Obviously Baekhyun didn't get the memo, since Jongin had to take him home anyway.

It's really a tough situation for Jongin, who's debating whether or not to respond to this message, sitting up and staring hard at the screen. Should he respond as if he was speaking to the real Byun Baek? Should he condemn this number and its holder? Should he just do _nothing_? The countless options make his head swirl.

Jongin's thumbs hover over the keyboard, unsure. Eventually he comes to the conclusion that he shouldn't have anything to worry about, right now, since Mystery Responder hasn't attempted to hack him (yet).

Inhaling a deep breath, Jongin types out a simple response that should clear things up quickly and easily. _Um Im sorry for the inconvenience but I got the wrong number from my friend and everything Ive texted you from the start was a big misunderstanding. Sorry._ After he hits _send_ , he feels more at ease as he heads into his bedroom and sets the phone down on his bed. While he stands in front of his dresser, contemplating whether or not to shower now or in the morning, his phone vibrates and plays its toned jingle — new text. Jongin hadn't anticipated such a sudden reply, but he goes to check it anyway.

_but did you get home okay? you seemed pretty drunk, from what you sent. there were a lot of prayer emojis at the end of your texts for some reason. i might be christian and all, but still. that was.. sort of weird._

Jongin, despite having had a pretty shitty night, laughs until he can feel it jittering in his stomach, his arm holding his waist to steady himself. He replies a minute later, when he's recovered. _Im alright, thanks for worrying. It gave me a good laugh_

_it's what i do_

Deciding to hold off on showering for a bit, Jongin sits down on his bed and continues to text the fascinating stranger. _Werent You bothered at all that someone you didnt know was in contact with you??_

 _well, i give people my number, but then i forget. it happens. i just assumed you were one of those people. you even asked about a class i'm in_ (...) _after you started calling me "baekhyun" i figured you had the wrong number. truth be told i wasn't bothered though_

Jongin feels a tickle in the back of his throat, and he coughs into his fist. _Why didnt you say anything!! This is So embarrassing!! >,<_

_uh well you seem like you needed another friend. i thought i could be a good one?_

That declaration — uncertain but still a declaration — surprises Jongin. _Thanks.. a lot. I mean it, Baekhyun hyung is one of my best friends so It really scared me when I found out you werent him._ Jongin pauses before sending the next message, a crease in his brow. _Um who are you exactly??_

Mystery Responder does not reply immediately. They don't answer for a long while, and Jongin wonders if they fell asleep on him. He decides to resign for a bit and go shower, grabbing an old t-shirt and some shorts to change into. When he comes back, hopefully there will be another text waiting for him.

Jongin makes sure to clean thoroughly, rinsing his hair with the mango-scented shampoo Yixing had bought (on sale) and scrubbing his skin with cherry blossom shower gel (discounted). One of his habits includes using too much hot water and subsequently fogging up the entire bathroom with steam. The mirror is clouded, when he steps out, and Jongin gives in to the temptation of doodling all over it, disregarding the scolding that will later come from Yixing. From flowers to kittens, beach waves to Pikachus, Jongin's finger swipes through almost the entire mirror. He chuckles at his creations and then dresses himself, slipping out of the bathroom with the door wide open.

While he rubs at his hair with a towel in one hand, Jongin checks his phone for new texts with the other. Received a few minutes ago, the message itself is short enough to be seen fully on the lock screen:

_call me ksoo._

Jongin smiles. He renames the contact promptly —also adds a small mail emoji at the end of the name —and formulates his reply, his towel draped over his head so he can make use of all ten fingers (two for tapping and eight for supporting). Not too bold and not too withdrawn, his response is perfect. _My name's Jongin. Nice to meet you._ Completely perfect.

 _okay, jongin, thanks for clearing up the misunderstanding and whatnot. sorry to cut our meeting short but unfortunately i have a class in the morning, so if you don't mind i'll be the first to say good night._ (...) _Good night_

A little crestfallen, Jongin responds with a brief _Gnight_ and locks his phone, flopping onto his back. He pulls the towel away from his head and holds it to his chest, the damp cloth wetting his shirt, and sighs. He's tired, but he was hoping to talk more with "ksoo," maybe get to know them better. That would've been fun to do at two in the morning, just barely buzzed.

After getting up and returning the towel to the bathroom, Jongin slips under his covers and switches off his lamplight. He makes sure to plug his phone into its charger before he rolls onto his side, closing his eyes and welcoming a well-deserved slumber.

—

When he wakes up, at a reasonable time of one in the afternoon, Jongin isn't all that surprised to find Byun Baekhyun lying sound asleep on his kitchen floor. Last night, it had taken all of Jongin's strength to carry Baekhyun back to his own apartment, careful not to wake Sehun who had fallen asleep on the couch watching some gory drama on his laptop. Tucked in and smiling blissfully, drunk Baekhyun had told Jongin that they'd see each other in the morning and, okay, it's not exactly morning, but... here he is.

Jongin doesn't think too much about it and lets his elder sleep, stepping over his body to open the fridge and grab some eggs for an understandably late breakfast. He cooks enough scrambled eggs for himself and Baekhyun — four servings, at least, and Jongin mixes in some leftover rice for the hell of it. By the time he's finished, it's almost a quarter-past one and the sunlight is shining bright through the curtains. Once he sets the plates down on the table in front of the television, Jongin heads back to the kitchen and uses his toe to poke Baekhyun's face, a slow but entertaining process of waking his drooling friend up.

"This is really gross," Baekhyun mutters, eyelids droopy, halfheartedly swatting at Jongin's foot. "Ugh, it smells like sweat."

"My foot smells like foot," Jongin says, rolling his eyes. "Get up, hyung. I made eggs."

"Food," groans Baekhyun. He peers up at Jongin, making a grabbing motion with one of his hands. "Feed me, child."

Jongin sighs. "Feed _yourself_ ," he declares as he pulls Baekhyun up by the forearm. "I'm gonna turn on the TV. Any requests?"

Baekhyun uses his sleeve to wipe at his eyes, his lips forming a small pout. "A movie," he mumbles, and he shuffles to the couch to sit beside Jongin. " _The Little Mermaid_."

"That is a DVD," Jongin deadpans. "I would have to dig through all my DVDs to find it."

"Please?" And Baekhyun does the puppy-dog look, hands clasped together pathetically, and Jongin can't possibly say no to that. Jongin goes to his room, where his stack of movies rests against the wall in order of quality.

"You're the best," chimes Baekhyun, a spoonful of eggs in his mouth. While Jongin goes in search of the dusty Disney movie, he decides to play some games on the younger boy's phone to pass the time. He unlocks the password easily — since Jongin is one of those people who use their birthday as the code — and is surprised to find that the phone opens to a thread of messages from _ksoo_. "Hey, Jongin? Who's 'ksoo'?"

Jongin returns from his expedition, DVD case tucked under his arm, and swiftly takes his phone back. "Uh, that person I thought was you... but wasn't actually you." He rubs the back of his neck, awkward. "Yeah."

"No way — _Mystery Responder_!?" shrieks Baekhyun, mouth comically agape. "You _actually_ talked to them? What'd they say? How'd they sound? People who have raspy voices probably have mustaches, FYI."

Jongin tries to talk coolly, but he ends up stumbling with his words from being so flustered. "I just— I didn't _talk_ per se... I mean, I texted them and— Well, I told them how I got the wrong number and— and whatever."

Baekhyun glowers at him, frowning. "That's so vanilla." Jongin's face expresses his confusion, and Baekhyun goes on, " _Boring_. You didn't do anything _extra_ ordinary."

"What would be 'extraordinary,' hyung?" Jongin scoffs. He inserts the DVD into the player and turns back to retort, "If they told me they were some escape convict or something?"

That sparkle in Baekhyun's eyes reappears as he exclaims, "Yeah! That'd be so cool!"

Jongin takes a seat on the couch and pushes at Baekhyun's head. "How would that be cool?" he barks, and he stuffs a spoon of eggs into his mouth. "Watch the movie, hyung."

Baekhyun surrenders reluctantly. They eat their rice-and-eggs in silence — sort of. Jongin makes standard comments about the movie, how the art looks so weird sometimes, and Baekhyun keeps criticizing the songs' pop-style, even though he sings along to every single one with perfectly recited lyrics. When "Kiss the Girl" comes on, Baekhyun showcases his singing and dramatic abilities so loud that Yixing emerges from his room.

"What're you guys doin'?" he slurs sleepily, hands stuffed down his pants (for warmth, hopefully).

"Hi, Yixing hyung," greets Baekhyun, smiling, as he poses with his spoon as a mike.

Jongin looks up from the floor, where he's begun to imitate a sea crab, and blinks. "Oh, hyung," he says, astonished. "To be honest, I totally forgot you lived here for a second. Sorry."

Yixing waves off the remark. He slumps on the couch and opens his mouth wide. "Feed me," he commands wearily. Chuckling, Jongin does an airplane path for his spoon and lands it into Yixing's mouth. Yixing grins blissfully, doing a kissy face as a thank you while he chews.

"How come _I_ don't get fed like that," whines Baekhyun, pouting.

"I like this hyung way better than you," Jongin proclaims simply, and Baekhyun squawks so indignantly that he almost resembles the seagull in the movie.

—

Maybe what Baekhyun had said is starting to get to him, but Jongin has been thinking about "ksoo" a lot lately. Over a week has passed since he last texted them, and Jongin knows absolutely nothing about the stranger. Okay, so that's not true. He knows that they're Christian, takes a morning class and macroeconomics... and that's basically it. Jongin isn't one to be cloyingly curious about something like this (he's not Baekhyun), but it's really getting to him! The contact on his phone, not even labeled as a full name — who _are_ they?

So Jongin finally gives in on a Tuesday night, while he's eating Malaysian takeout with Yixing (who's watching a variety show on KBS) and working on some research for macroeconomics class. His phone goes off with a text from Baekhyun, the real one, asking desperately about the same assignment, and Jongin vaguely wonders if "ksoo" is struggling with this, too. There's no harm in sending a text, right?

_Hey! Have you finished working on that project from MrParks class?_

There. Done. Casual. Great. Jongin tosses his phone aside, onto the table, and continues to eat/work. Yixing might look at him funny, but Jongin ignores it. It's all good. The moment his phone vibrates, he lunges for it and hurriedly checks the message — casually.

 _i'm almost done with it._ (...) _are you still working?_

Jongin grins. _Yup!! Im taking a break now bc My hand is all cramped up ;;_ He sends the message and hums, holding his phone to his chest.

"What are you all smiley about?" Yixing asks, leering.

Tilting his head, acting innocent, Jongin replies cutely, "Supply and demand."

Yixing reaches out to pinch his cheek. "Aren't you adorable," he coos. "Don't be too creepy, okay, young one?"

Jongin's smile slips off his face as he mutters, "I'm not creepy, you're creepy." A new message appears on his phone, and he's soon back to glowing like a sunflower. Yixing raises an eyebrow at the behavior and Jongin nudges him in the side.

_are you writing by hand? this assignment would suck so bad if you are, i'm so sorry_

Jongin looks at his work layout — pencils, books, papers sprawled out on the table and floor. _Its not so bad. Using books and stuff is fun! If Im telling the truth.. Im not That good with computers. The last one I had burned me a lot ;;_

_that must've been a bad laptop. some fans run too hot and that happens... do you need help buying one? i'm surprised you've come this far into college without one_

Wait. Wait a minute. Is "ksoo" offering to assist Jongin in getting a laptop? The thought of buying a laptop has never really occurred to Jongin, mostly because he is content with notebooks and planners. It wouldn't hurt to get one, though. All his friends have been nagging for him to stop being such an oldie and start being more of a modern-day techie, which is a little hurtful to Jongin's pride but would seriously help him in the long run.

 _You Would help me? Forreal?_ The response takes a little longer, but when it comes, Jongin feels a sudden rush of happiness.

_maybe in a few weeks? i'm a bit busy. i think i can make time later, if you want?_

"You're smiling real big again," Yixing comments, and once again, Jongin ignores him.

—

Jongin likes texting "ksoo" nowadays, since they have yet to meet in person. The two of them text about a wide array of topics, like movies or food or life or — well, anything. They even send pictures of what they're eating, or cute animals they see on the street. It's always Jongin who initiates the conversations, surprisingly enough, but he doesn't mind it. He doesn't text them every day, but he texts them enough for a good majority of his friends to notice.

"Who are you talking to?" inquires Sehun, almost crawling into Jongin's lap to see his phone.

Kicking the pest away, Jongin sits back and says, "None of your business." He looks around and huffs, "How can you act like that in _public_? We're at Starbucks, not your mom's house."

"I practically live here," Sehun states arrogantly.

Zitao stares at him, not quite a glare but borderline one. "That's not something to be proud of, babe." Sehun then retreats to his lap, and Zitao isn't complaining about that. "So, who're you chatting with, Jongin?"

"Nobody," insists Jongin, as his phone vibrates on the table. He blushes. "That didn't happen."

Sehun snatches the phone before Jongin can and unlocks it with ease. "Oh, someone named 'ksoo'?" he practically purrs.

"Give that back, you little—" Zitao narrows his eyes at Jongin, terribly frightening, and Jongin finishes quietly, "—noodle."

"You talk about some nerdy things," Sehun says offhandedly, scrolling and skimming through the messages. "You talked about anime for, like, three hours. Totally nerdy." He turns to Jongin, leaning in close. "Care to tell us who this nerd is?"

Jongin grabs his phone and frowns. "No, you pilferer," he snaps. "You deserve to be told _nothing_ and _only nothing_."

"That was rude," Zitao comments.

Sehun is off in his own world, still absorbed in this unknown figure of Jongin's. "It says 'ksoo,' so..." He slaps his hand on his thigh, as if he solved a piece of the mystery. "You met them in a videogame, didn't you? This _has_ to be a username."

"It's not," Jongin sighs. "At least I don't think it is."

Zitao is the one who frowns this time. "Then what's their real name?"

Jongin says nothing, lips pursed, and maneuvers to check the new message: _have you watched tokyo ghoul? that's one of my favorites._ Grinning, he begins to type his reply as Sehun and Zitao continue to gossip (about Jongin, who can still hear them perfectly because he's _right across_ from them).

"I'm pretty sure we haven't met this person," Sehun notes, rubbing his chin. "I'm Jongin's unofficial BFF, so all other relationships must be fully inspected by me, for my dear friend's safety."

Zitao rolls his eyes. "Yeah, sure." He takes a sip from the straw of his vanilla bean frappuccino. "You have no idea who this new character is, Sehun. You're completely out of your element, because this is the first thing Jongin has hidden from you."

"Not true! This kid—" Sehun jabs harshly at Jongin's shoulder, the other barely reacting as he continues to text, "—once stole my bike for _three weeks_ before telling me. Do you know how I got to school? Walking. For a mile. In the _fucking winter_."

"Oh, poor baby," Zitao coos, and he pinches Sehun's cheek. "Although, biking in the winter isn't really a good idea in the first place."

Sehun balks, "Well, I had no other choice, okay."

Zitao clucks his tongue. "Carpool? A bus? There must've been a load-and-a-half more ways to get to class on time, I'm sure."

"No bus would visit me house! Neighbors didn't like my oddly colored hair! They ostracized me!" Sehun flaps his arms at the boy across the table, fraught. "Jongin, old neighbor of mine, back me up on this."

Jongin, gaze focused on the screen of his phone, responds smoothly, "I don't know what either of you said, but I'm going to have to agree with Zitao hyung. His smile is probably more genuine that yours."

Sehun punches him in the shoulder. "Now you're just being an ass."

"It takes one to know one," retorts Jongin. He finishes up his text, checking it over one last time before sending it: _TG is a great anime, definitely on my top10!! Its like an instant classic when you get rid of all the censoring they did first-run. That ruined the experience a lot... Still, storyline = A+_

"I feel like I can always tell when Jongin is thinking about his dweeby stuff," Zitao hums, "because his face has that... warm glow to it. Do you know what I mean?"

"Like when he drinks alcohol," quips Sehun.

"Do you suppose he thinks about Naruto when he takes Jell-O shots?" Zitao chortles.

Jongin's head pops up, and he scrunches his eyebrows and scowls. "I don't drink like that," he claims. "And Naruto's overrated."

Sehun rolls his eyes and leans close to Zitao's ear. He whispers pointedly, "Only a dweeb would say that." Zitao nods solemnly. "Jongin needs a better hobby. Like sports."

Right then, "ksoo" texts Jongin about their all-time favorite anime, _Prince of Tennis_ , and Jongin can't help but chuckle aloud.

—

Jongin eventually learns that "ksoo" is actually a shortened version of "Kyungsoo," who lives as an accountant major and avid fan of popular anime series. Not long after that, they send each other pictures of themselves doing brief actions for authenticity purposes, making sure neither of them is lying about their identities. One of Kyungsoo's friends suggests it, and the pair decides that it would be a reasonable thing to do.

Foremost, Jongin is told to draw a small penguin on his cheek, shakily shaping the creature and even adding an inky teardrop at the corner of his eye — which seems to satisfy Kyungsoo more than enough. Kyungsoo is only a little miffed Jongin asks, in turn, for him to hold up the number of fingers equivalent to how many times he cried during the first Pokémon movie. (Three fingers, covering his face, though the photo still shows off the reddened tips of his ears.)

—

Around six in the morning, Jongin's phone goes off with a new message. It takes him a few minutes to actually turn over and check it, eyes squinting at the brightness, vision partially hazy. "Ah, he sent me a pic," he murmurs.

The picture is almost ominous, with an anonymous silhouette standing in a doorway, their stance shown looming over the rest of the room. The caption that comes along with it reads: _my dorm mate sort of. came home like this. i. don't know what to do._

"What the heck," blurts Jongin, smile soft. _How long have they been standing there??_

The reply is quick. _right now marks.... seven minutes._ (...) _i've been staring at him, tried talking to him, and. he's. immobile_

_Why not get up and put him to bed?? Im sure it hurts standing like that for so long_

Kyungsoo takes a few minutes, but his next response is another picture. Although it's a bit blurry, with the flash Jongin can make out a hand reaching forward to push away a grinning face, the text soon following composed of garbled nonsense. Then, suddenly: _i offer help and am ambushed. my lungs are being crushed. save my soul. sos_

Jongin laughs under his breath. _Stay strong Kyungsoo!! I believe in You!!!_ He feels himself begin to drift off, so he pats his cheek to stay alert and writes another message. _You still have to help me buy a laptop remember!!_

Five minutes later, Kyungsoo sends a video, almost thirty seconds long. The start of it is dark and has heavy snoring in it, but then there's rustling of a blanket and a hushed voice. " _Do you see that_?" Kyungsoo's voice, most likely, hoarse from sleep. It sounds warm. " _If you can't..._ " Light fills the room from above, and the camera focuses on a yellow-colored object at the center of the bed. " _My dorm mate, sleeping his life away in neon colors. And you know what? He's on my laptop. And I just heard a crack._ " The video cuts off as the dorm mate rolls over.

Jongin winces. He forgoes taking a video of himself (since he doesn't sleep with a shirt on, most of the time, and he doesn't want Kyungsoo's second impression of him to be indecent) and sends a quick text. _We'll look for laptops together then? >.<;;_

Kyungsoo's hasty response: _yes please and soon_

—

Today is the day. Jongin waits at the front of the electronics store, on a metal bench, keeping a lookout for "ksoo" — which doesn't make much sense since he has no clue what the other looks like. Since the time Kyungsoo's dorm mate busted his laptop, only a few days ago, Kyungsoo has gotten more open with Jongin... but not in the visual sense.

The two have talked more on the phone, exchanged some more videos, but all without faces to match with voices. Kyungsoo may have seen Jongin's face once or twice, but Jongin can't remember ever _truly_ seeing Kyungsoo's. Call it childish, but Jongin thinks that that's completely unfair. Those feelings simmer down after there's a gentle poke to his shoulder, causing him to turn around abruptly.

It's a person. Dark hair, with tints of red. Their smile is timid, and their hands are wringing the bottom of their navy sweater vest. "Hi," they greet, looking expectantly at Jongin, who gives no response. "Oh, right," they say, blinking, "this is weird. Um, I'm Kyungsoo... Do Kyungsoo. We met on the phone."

"Kyungsoo?" Jongin proclaims, and he unconsciously sits straighter in his seat. "Hey, Kyungsoo! I'm Jongin! Kim Jongin!"

"Yeah, I figured," laughs Kyungsoo. "Should we go in?" He looks so small, warming himself with his arms. "It's colder than I thought it'd be out here."

Jongin nods eagerly. "Off to find some laptops," he declares with a grin, standing up. "It's a cold fall this year, too. What'd you expect?" He walks beside Kyungsoo and hums, "I thought you would be taller, honestly." That comments gets him a light punch to the shoulder, but he laughs it off, beaming.

The electronics shop is a few blocks from the college, of average size, and quite busy for this Sunday morning. The two of them walk in and immediately head to the computer section, various laptops on display for customers to examine. Not knowing a lick about how to shop for this kind of technology, Jongin trails after the knowledgeable Kyungsoo pitifully for the most of their time.

"You really do need help," muses Kyungsoo, craning his head around, as he holds up a black Dell laptop. "You look so lost."

"Cut me some slack! I've never done this before." A light gray laptop at the end of the table catches Jongin's eye, and he heads over and inspects it. "How about this one? It's really light," he chirps, waving Kyungsoo over.

"A Lenovo, hm?" Kyungsoo trots over and runs a finger over the edge of the screen. "It can switch into a tablet, too. That's cool and all, but it's sort of expensive." He walks away to look at the other side of laptops.

"Oh," Jongin says sullenly. He puts the laptop down and goes back to following Kyungsoo as a silent observer. "Hey, Kyungsoo," he chimes quietly, "how old are you?"

Kyungsoo is startled at the query, staring at him with widened eyes. "Uh, well, I turned twenty-two in the beginning of the year." He touches the side of his face, concerned. "Why? Do I look younger than that?"

Jongin shrugs innocently. "You're older than me," he proclaims, a bit bashful. "I'm twenty-one."

"No way," blurts Kyungsoo, and he quickly shuts his mouth closed, embarrassed. "This entire time I thought you were... Well, I thought you were at least two years older than me."

It's Jongin's turn to touch his face, mouth twisting into a pout. "I'm a child," he murmurs. "I'll call you 'hyung,' okay?"

Kyungsoo stutters into a laugh. "Okay," he says. "But you're a grown adult in college, not some little kid."

Jongin whimpers, "What are taxes," and musters his most distressed expression to present to the elder. "I am not worthy of adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it."

"Are any of us?" chuckles Kyungsoo, shaking his head. Holding out another laptop, colored dark blue, he passes it to Jongin. "Here, look at this one. I think you'd like it. It doesn't have too many advanced features."

It takes about an hour for the whole shopping experience to end, but both of the boys are completely satisfied with their purchases. Kyungsoo snags an adequately priced HP laptop, and Jongin takes a simple Samsung product. Even though Jongin says he doesn't need them, Kyungsoo helps get him extra accessories for his new laptop, like a wireless mouse and an extra set of ear buds, insisting that it's the right thing to do. The two of them soon have their parting at the crosswalk intersection, waving goodbye to one another with promises of later contact, going their separate ways.

With a huge grin on his face Jongin walks back home, a skip in his step. His and Kyungsoo's first face-to-face meeting hadn't been the most extravagant, the most memorable, but Jongin is happier than ever that he now can finally put a face to a voice, a figure to his imaginations.

—

" _Do you think they can make any more Pokémon_?"

Jongin, sitting comfortably on his couch, looks up from his 3DS XL and glances at the Skype box in the corner of his laptop screen. Kyungsoo's face is barely visible, hidden under a hood and glasses, as he plays on his own console of the same type, colored red instead of teal. He said the question without taking his attention away from his game, probably alluding to a random thought he just wants to voice. Jongin smiles.

"They're already up to, what, seven-hundred?" Jongin notes. He's playing _Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team_ , an old DS game, and his character is the timid fire-type Cyndaquil. "I don't know if they can come up with another hundred for a seventh generation."

Kyungsoo's face scrunches up, like he agrees but is still conflicted. " _There are some bad Pokémon in the newer games, but then there are some really good ones, you know?_ " He pauses to adjust his laptop, making the webcam point lower. " _I'll really miss it if they stop._ "

Rubbing his thumb over his lip, Jongin shakes his head. "They'll run out of puns sooner or later, but maybe not yet. Nintendo still has some aces up their sleeves."

" _Ice cream, garbage, a set of keys_ — _What else can they Pokémon-ify_?" chuckles Kyungsoo. He flips his console around and shows the top screen to Jongin, displaying a fall scenery at a park, Kyungsoo's classily-dressed character in the center. " _I'm playing X right now. Can you see it_?"

Jongin nods his head. "What're you up to?" he asks.

Kyungsoo clicks around his console for a moment before answering, " _My roommate is out of town for the weekend, so I'm going on a videogame spree. After I finish up the Pokémon League, I'm going to start Kingdom Hearts II on the TV._ "

"Sounds like a good time," Jongin says. He looks around the apartment, sighing pensively. "Yixing hyung is at music lessons, so I'm all alone, too. He teaches on Saturdays. Private lessons, I think? He gets paid really well."

Kyungsoo's expression morphs into a surprised grin. " _Seriously? Maybe I should do something like that..._ "

Jongin asks, "Can you play an instrument, hyung?"

Shaking his head, Kyungsoo responds shyly, " _I can, uh, sing. A little bit._ "

"That's so cool!" Jongin exclaims, genuinely intrigued. "Wait a sec, is it like... church singing or pop music singing?"

" _This question is weird_ ," Kyungsoo says, baffled. It looks like he's using his 3DS to hide the lower half of his face.

"Okay, hear me out — if it's church singing, it's that really loud voice that should be the backtrack to some Halo game, yeah? Or maybe Silent Hill. Unimportant. One chord, super echo-y. But then for pop music singing, it's the kind an amateur One Direction member would sound like, when he's still good but not _professional_ -good. Like better than karaoke, but you wouldn't want to sit through a three hour concert of it. Or, uh, somewhere in the middle of all that."

Kyungsoo bursts into a fit of laughter, and it's so intense that he jostles his laptop as he buries his face in his sweater. On the other end, Jongin just sits there and listens to it, unsure of what to do. "Hyung? Um, you okay? Don't drop your DS, that's expensive."

" _Jongin, you're_ —" Kyungsoo's grin is wide while he wipes the sides of his eyes, "— _hilarious._ "

Smile spreading across his face, Jongin rubs the back of his neck and does a modest one-shouldered shrug. "So," he says, attempting nonchalance, "how's the Pokémon League?"

Kyungsoo bites his lip, unsuccessfully suppressing a smile. " _Doing okay, but Wikstrom keeps using his full restores on his Probopass. I'm stuck. Why do they have to do that?_ "

Jongin recalls the rocky-nose Pokémon and has an epiphany. "Well, hyung," he starts coolly, and oh, he's so going to regret this, "maybe you shouldn't be too _nosey_."

The regret burns at the back of his mind, but it's overridden by Kyungsoo's new wave of giggles and declarations of " _you're a giant dweeb_."

"That was bad, yes, but you and I both know it's too late to take it back."

—

"Am I seriously the only one that finds this weird?" questions Sehun, narrowing his eyes at Jongin, who currently is lying on the floor, texting gleefully. "This concerns me greatly."

"Jongin's happiness should not concern you," declares Yixing, shaking the newly popped bag of popcorn. He passes by Jongin and pats his head. "It's cute." He squeezes his way between Sehun and the snoozing Zitao, oblivious to the dagger-eyes Sehun gives him for it. "What? Do you want some?"

"No I do not want some," Sehun growls flippantly, pushing his way back to Zitao's side protectively. "Why are all of you here? You're making the dorm stuffy."

Baekhyun skips over from the kitchen and flops down beside Sehun, cradling a bowl of potato chips in his arms. "Movie night, honey," he hums. "We have the biggest apartment, so. It was inevitable. Also I invited some more people — just a few."

"I am too nice," groans Sehun.

Jongin scoffs, "Sure you are." He dodges the potato chip that gets thrown at him by Sehun and clucks his tongue. "Now you're making a mess."

Sehun lays his head against Zitao's, ignoring everything around him — even Yixing, who's trying to slip pieces of popcorn into his mouth. "What are we even watching?" Sehun asks, grouchy, shoving at Yixing's arm.

"Something Marvel," trills Baekhyun. "Jongin, check the DVD, will you?"

Obediently doing as told, reaching onto the table, Jongin grabs the DVD case and sets it against his face. "The title says..." He takes a long dramatic pause, until Sehun threatens to throw another chip at him. " _Captain America: The Winter Soldier_."

Yixing hisses, like he'd just scalded his hand in hot bath water. "I haven't watched the first one," he mumbles whiningly.

That remark makes Jongin bolt upright, mouth agape. "How could you _not_ , hyung," he says, bewildered. "If you don't watch all the Marvel movies in the Avengers series, you don't get the full effect! You start with _Captain America_ , then _Iron Man_ — you _can_ watch the _Incredible Hulk_ , but you don't really _need_ to—"

"Someone stop him," grumbles Zitao, lip curling. "I'm trying to nap."

Yixing prepares a handful of popcorn to toss at Jongin, but the loud knocking causes his attention to shift. "I got it!" he chimes, bounding out of his seat to answer the door. From their spots around the TV space (because it's not fit to be called a living room), everyone can hear their friend greet delightedly, "Popcorn?"

"Nah, but thanks for the offer," a low voice replies, coming closer to the rest of them, and Baekhyun rolls his eyes. It should be no surprise that the Monster-chugging Park Chanyeol had been one of Baekhyun's invitees, but there are two others behind him that (literally) stand in his shadow. Yixing returns to his seat, lively as ever.

Sehun nudges Baekhyun in the side. "Care to introduce us to these people, hyung?" He eyes Chanyeol knowingly, twisting his mouth. "I know that unfortunate giant, but not the other ones."

"Hey!" Chanyeol balks. He moves to settle at Baekhyun's feet, his back against the other male's legs, and glares up at Sehun. "I am just a _normal_ giant, mind you."

Baekhyun disregards Chanyeol altogether and motions for the two unknown individuals to step up. One of them has messy, almost curled hair, and a polite grin, wearing one of those galaxy sweatshirts with matching shorts. The other is more plain, dressed in a simple hoodie and basketball shorts, lips suddenly quirking into a smile. They don't seem uncomfortable at the situation, just a little shy at the attention.

"These two are from my composition classes," Baekhyun introduces swiftly. "I couldn't grab Joonmyeon hyung because he's the TA and said no, unfortunately, and Minseok hyung is also _un_ available. But Smiley over here is Kim Jongdae, and this bum is—"

"Kyungsoo!" exclaims Jongin, scrambling to his feet in front of the aforementioned. Everyone turns to stare at him, silent and blinking, and he embarrassedly adds a quiet, "hyung" to lessen the fall. "You're friends with Baekhyun hyung?" he asks meekly.

"Sure," says Kyungsoo, nodding his head slightly. (He's still smiling.)

Jongin quickly leads Kyungsoo to where he had been sitting, snatching a pillow from under Sehun's nose and placing it on the ground so the elder can sit. "Here, hyung," he says. Right after Kyungsoo takes a seat, Jongin plops down next to him, hugging his knees to his chest.

Sehun squints at them, pointing his finger back and forth between the two. "How do you know one another?"

"Macroeconomics," Kyungsoo answers, at the same time Jongin replies, "None of your business." Kyungsoo seems confused at Jongin's brusqueness, and Jongin scratches his neck awkwardly.

Yixing claps his hands once. "Okay! Moving on! Let's all get comfy because it's movie time!" Still in his chipper tone he continues, "We'll watch a sequel to a movie I haven't even watched the original to! Everything is good! I'm not sad!"

"Oh," says Jongdae, crestfallen, as he takes a seat beside Yixing. "I brought _Pacific Rim_. I didn't know that you already had—"

"Let's watch it!" Jongin interjects eagerly. "I love that movie! The graphics are _so good_ , given its budget, and the amount of color the characters have—"

"Warning: nerd alert," Zitao snickers, as he stirs from his slumber.

Jongin glares at him. "Haven't you been obsessed with the _Maze Runner_ lately? And you're still going to call _me_ a nerd?"

Zitao waves him off, a smug expression on his face. "Hey, Ki Hong Lee and Dylan O'Brien are hot and you know it." Baekhyun snorts.

Bewildered, Jongin mentally prepares his impromptu speech criticizing the post-apocalyptic-based franchise until he is interrupted by Kyungsoo's soft, "He has a point." Jongin jerks his head, eyes wide. "I like the _Maze Runner_ , too. I've read all the books. They're pretty interesting."

"This guy is a good guy," Zitao hums, smiling cat-like and waggling his fingers at Kyungsoo. "Better than Sehun, who wouldn't even watch the movie with me."

Sehun sneers, "You were gonna stream it off some shitty site in the shittiest quality I have ever seen. No thank you, pass for me."

Zitao pouts and sighs, "Isn't he high maintenance?"

"You couldn't even recognize their faces! And you had already watched it, like, four times!" Sehun counters.

"Now, now, settle down," Yixing attempts to placate. "Let's just put in the movie and argue later, yeah? Baekhyun, would you please stop trying to stick your toes in Chanyeol's mouth, thanks. I appreciate it."

Jongdae passes the DVD to Yixing, who gratefully takes it and inserts it into the player. The rest of them have their eyes trained on the screen, crunching on their snacks. As the movie begins to play Jongin practically vibrates with excitement, and Kyungsoo amusedly pats his leg to get him to calm some.

"Try not to spoil anything for me," he says quietly. "I want to be surprised."

Jongin slowly nods, and then hooks his pinky with Kyungsoo to make a brief promise, grinning, "You'll love it. It has action, drama, proper character development, giant robots—" Chanyeol pushes Jongin with his foot, shushing him, and Jongin huffs, "I'm gonna—"

"No fighting," Baekhyun chides, curt. He hits Chanyeol on top of his head with his bowl and says, "Get me some more chips, buddy." Grumbling, Chanyeol obliges and makes sure to glare at Jongin on his way to the kitchen.

Kyungsoo leans close to Jongin's ear. "Are you two always like that?" he asks, curious.

Jongin shrugs. "Depends," he says. "I'll tell you about it later."

All of them watch the movie, mostly. Right after the intro, Sehun knocks out like a light, snoring softly into Zitao's shoulder, even through the thunderous Jaegar-Kaiju fight scenes. Zitao, on the other hand, is legitimately interested in the storyline of the movie, piping up with questions that Jongin gladly answers (though limited to one sentence responses only, because his paragraphs make it hard to concentrate on the movie). Baekhyun comments once or twice about the main characters being hot in their Drive Suits, living up to his self-acclaimed title of Byun Bisexual. Chanyeol is half paying attention, choosing to fiddle around on his phone when there's no action. Yixing provides background noise, with his "oohs" and "ahhs" after dramatic moments, and Jongdae sneaks furtive glances to his side, smiling subtly.

Jongin spends his time gauging Kyungsoo's reaction (since he's already seen Pacific Rim at least fifteen times). For the most part, Kyungsoo is a calm viewer. Jongin is thankful of the little things that Kyungsoo does — slight jumps, brief gasps, relieved smiles. Nearing the end of the movie, Kyungsoo catches Jongin staring and, thankfully, isn't weirded out. He only giggles, and Jongin feels a part of his entire being implode.

—

On the way home from class, heading to the bus, Jongin's phone vibrates twice in his pocket. One message is from his mother, and the other is from Kyungsoo. The one from his mom isn't anything urgent — it's a picture of Jongin's dogs napping on the couch and a caption of " _so cute_ " below it. Glancing around to make sure no one is around, Jongin quickly takes a pouty selfie to express his sorrows for having to keep his babies at home. His mother then replies with a dog emoji, and Jongin takes that as the end of the conversation.

Kyungsoo's message alarms Jongin, in a way, when he checks it on the bus. It reads: _i've been wondering about something..._ (...) _why is it you don't like chanyeol?_ Straightforward, just like Kyungsoo. Great.

Honestly, Jongin's reason for disliking Chanyeol is completely childish. (Sehun has negative feelings for him, too, because of that one incident with Zitao, which consoles Jongin.) It had been last year, during their first time working together for a Korean History project. While in the middle of researching Namsan Tower, Jongin had been procrastinating on Facebook and stumbled upon a photo of one of his babies — his toy poodle Janggu. Jongin _had_ to coo at the picture, grinning wide and poking the screen, but then Chanyeol _had_ to ruin the moment by saying the words that would make Jongin hate him forever: "It sort of looks like a mutt." Blacklisted immediately, or as much as possible since Chanyeol was dating Baekhyun at the time.

But is he _really_ going to tell Kyungsoo _that_ 's why? Because of petty personal grudges? No, of course not. Jongin is more suave than that, so he replies coolly: _I just dont. Our personalities dont Match up well_. Boom, nailed it.

_that doesn't sound like the truth_

Damn it. How could Kyungsoo see through his text so easily? Witchcraft, most definitely. There's no point in denying it any further, so Jongin puts together a new response that explains the situation clearly, including the embarrassing details (which is essentially all of it).

 _okay, i believe that._ (...) _it's weird that you feel that way because i'm such a close friend to chanyeol; i've known him since high school. we were in.... biology? together?? and then physics too.. actually a lot of classes. i think we bonded over music and sports anime and went from there_

Jongin is surprised — a little jealous, even. Maybe he needs to step up his game and introduce some of _his_ friends, too. _You know… Ive know Zitao and Sehun ever since senior year. They were my gym pals who I set up together :) now theyre fashion design majors + marketing minors & are going to sell some of their items on Etsy_

_oh wow~_

Puffing out his chest, Jongin continues to proudly boast about his companions. _Baekhyun hyung is cool!! Our families are close, and we always hung out as kids!! He got the cookie jar from the top shelf for me when he was taller than me!!!_ (...) _Yixing hyung is gr8 too! Hes from China & hes studying linguistics!! I havent known him long but hes a rad dude to dorm with :D_

_gosh that's cool! i've always wanted to learn mandarin.... could i ask him sometime?_

_I dont see why not :D Yixing hyung likes helping people a lot. I like to pretend he's an angel, to balance out Baekhyun hyung, whos the devil 9 times out of 10 lol_

_omg hey we could switch dorm mates for a day! you can get jongdae, i'll take yixing!! jongdae is pretty useless unless you need someone to make cheesy jokes for an hour_

_XD Or we can all hang out again~ Like that movie night we did last week! I'll make Sehun buy the snacks~_

_cut the guy some slack ><  he has to have money to buy zitao an anniversary gift!!_

_Oh!! Howd you know that?? :0_

_baekhyun has been ranting about it during class. sehun has been pestering him for advice.. i think he's stuck between getting a stuffed bear or jewelry? i also heard something about a hardcover novel collection??_

_Zitao has been reading a lot of John Green works Lmao_

_white teens fall in love: the series_

_KYUNGSOO HYUNG OH MY GOSH_

_yes but am i wrong_

Jongin is so invested in texting Kyungsoo that he doesn't notice his stop passed ten minutes ago and they've already reached the last stop, all of the passengers departed. When the bus driver comes up to tap him on the shoulder, Jongin bows numerous times as he hastily heads out, flushed in embarrassment — and then recounts what had just happened to Kyungsoo, who sends him a string of prayer emojis. (What a dweeb.)      

—

"What do you mean he's sick?" Jongin repeats shrilly, shocked, into the phone.

" _Yeah, it sucks a lot. All he's been doing is groaning and blowing his nose_ ," Jongdae says. In the background, horrid coughing cuts in like static. " _And brief coughs. That's him right now. I'm in the room over, but you can still hear him. So sad_."

At his apartment, Jongin is finishing up an essay in his pajamas. After messaging Kyungsoo about the new chapter of Tokyo Ghoul and not getting a response for several days, he had worriedly contacted the elder's dorm mate to see if anything was amiss. Sure enough, he had been notified that Kyungsoo has come down with a nasty fever and is glued to his bed in agony, mildly delirious — not a state that young Do Kyungsoo would ever want to willingly be in.

"How long has he been... you know?" asks Jongin warily.

" _Well, let's see... It's eleven o'clock a.m. right now, and I got home at nine-thirty... He's been like this for four days._ "

"Wha— _Four_ days!?"

" _Approximately_." Jongdae sighs. " _Which brings me to another point._ "

Jongin rubs his hand over his face. "Okay, lay it on me."

" _Come over and take care of him._ "

"Is that— What?" blurts Jongin.

" _Oh, wait, I forgot to say please. Come over and take care of him, please_."

Frantic, Jongin stands up and shrieks, " _Me_? Right now? Are you sure? I-I'm not qualified!" And he is not wearing pants.

" _Very, very sure you'll be fine. I have to go back to work at noon, and I've been the one taking care of him. Everyone else is doing their own thing, too. I'm just assuming you're free, because you're just calling me ever-so casually like this._ "

"I'm free, but—"

" _Great. I'll text you the address. The spare key is on top of the fire extinguisher box, and Kyungsoo hyung's room is the first to the left._ "

"Look, Jongdae hyung, I don't think I can—"

" _Are you going to make poor, sickly Do Kyungsoo fend for himself? Confined under his covers whilst fragile to the touch? Of course you won't! Because you can do this! You just have to believe in yourself, for your dear Kyungsoo hyung's sake._ "

"You're guilt-tripping me into this," cries Jongin.

" _That I am. As your new friend and confidant, this is what you must expect from me. Now I'm going to hang up, and you're not going to be a whiny baby and bail on me. We good?_ "

Sighing, Jongin lets out a begrudging, "Good," and sets his phone aside. After tugging on real pants, he pushes all his work into a backpack to bring along as he cares for Kyungsoo. In the middle of his packing, Jongin pauses to think: How contagious is Kyungsoo? Not willing to take on a risk of infection, he dons a face mask just before he leaves his apartment, thankful he also brought along a thick sweater.

The address Jongdae texts him isn't far from Jongin's place — only nine minutes away by foot, says Jongin's GPS on his phone. As he ascends the stairs, he anxiously fixes his face mask and hair, fretful over his messy appearance, and soon slaps his cheek in self-scolding because _why is he worried_? Kyungsoo doesn't focus on those trivial sort of things.

Jongin finds the spare key and unlocks the door, cautiously pushing his way in. The apartment is warmer than Jongin's and has significantly less clutter. After he puts his backpack down Jongin heads to Kyungsoo's room, knocking lightly on the wood.

"Hyung?" he calls. He peeks inside the room and sees Kyungsoo lying in his bed, tiredly rubbing at his eyes. "Oh, did I wake you? I'll let you sleep—"

Kyungsoo sits up and shakes his head. "No, stay," he commands, voice rough. "How'd you get here?" Jongin tells him simply, all the while Kyungsoo nods along. "Sorry you're stuck with me. I wouldn't have asked you if it was an inconvenience."

"I brought all my homework, so it's not a problem for me," assures Jongin as he reaches out to feel Kyungsoo's forehead with the back of his hand. "Ack, you're still really hot," he mutters. "Do you have any medicine to take?"

Kyungsoo gestures to the drawer of his bedside nightstand. "I have a strong immune system," he claims sternly.

Opening up the drawer, Jongin discovers something mildly amusing. "You have three bottles of pills in here," he retorts with a playful smile.

"Strong," echoes Kyungsoo.

Jongin picks out the bottles one by one and reads their labels carefully. "This is for mornings and evenings, this is for evenings only... Have you taken this one yet? It says three times a day."

"No." Kyungsoo purses his lips. "I haven't eaten lunch, so I can't. Gotta take it with food."

"I'll make you some congee," says Jongin, smiling. He stops when he realizes Kyungsoo can't see it. "Do you want green onions or nah?"

Kyungsoo chuckles. "I like green onions," he declares, showing a toothy grin. "Go back to smiling, Jongin. It was nice."

Jongin's eyes widen. "How did you know I was?"

"Your eyes smile, too," Kyungsoo says simply.

Taken aback, Jongin stutters out a mildly baffled, "Get some rest, hyung." Kyungsoo, in response, sticks out his tongue and lies back down, pulling the blanket up to his neck.

The kitchen is sparkling clean, filled with so much food that it feels like a base for an apocalypse. Jongin finds the rice in one of the lower cabinets and a pot in another, big enough for making porridge. It takes a while for him to figure out how to work the stove, but when he does he has the water and rice boiling in no time. For flavor, he adds all the seasonings at once, sprinkles of salt, pepper, and then the chopped green onions. He ladles out a few spoonfuls in a bowl and carries it back to Kyungsoo's bedroom.

"I'm back," he announces, carefully setting the bowl on the bedside table. "Watch out, hyung. It's pretty hot."

"I'll wait for it to cool," Kyungsoo mutters, eyes closed. "Thanks, Jongin. You're really sweet."

Jongin chuckles quietly. "Hyung," he says, shy.

"You know it's true. You really are," Kyungsoo insists wearily. The fever must be getting to him. "So sweet, so nice..." He trails off until Jongin thinks he's fallen asleep again. Speaking up once more, proving Jongin wrong, Kyungsoo asks softly, "Do you want to go out with me?"

"Huh?" Flustered, Jongin takes a nervous step back and points to himself, surprised. "M-Me?" Kyungsoo nods. "Hyung, you're not— you're not serious, are you? Kyungsoo hyung, you're just saying that because of your fever, you don't really mean that."

Kyungsoo sits up and takes a hold of Jongin's hand. Gently, he presses several kisses to the knuckles of his fingers. "Sleeping Beauty can kiss the Prince first, can't she?" he murmurs softly. "Of course I'm being serious, Jongin. I like you a lot. I just happen to be sick during the confession."

"Oh my gosh." Jongin knows that he has to be a hundred different shades of red now, maybe harvesting his own fever of five-hundred degrees because that's seriously what it feels like, not that Jongin has ever experienced such extremities, but he can imagine. "Okay," he squeaks.

"Okay?" Kyungsoo says, grin widening. His face is delightedly pink — from his fever, his nervousness, or both. "Don't make this into a cancerous John Green novel."

"I will go out with you," Jongin proclaims. "Finish your porridge and get better first, hyung."

—

" _You wore a face mask_ ," Kyungsoo says, almost a scoff, as he pushes his glasses up on his face. " _I saw you go to wash your hands nearly every ten minutes_."

Jongin blows his nose and wraps his blanket tighter around his body, leaning back against the sofa. On the laptop screen, he can see Kyungsoo chuckle. "I guess my immune system isn't as strong as yours, hyung," he grumbles, sticking out his tongue.

" _Yeah, but to catch my cold and be worse off..._ " Kyungsoo shakes his head. " _Jongin, your luck is, to put it lightly, shit._ "

"I know," groans Jongin, pouting. He sneezes. "I'm sorry I had to postpone our date, hyung."

" _Bless you_." The fond look on Kyungsoo's face is heartwarming as he says, " _It wasn't your fault, Jongin. Don't beat yourself up about it._ " He places his chin on top of his palm, sighing. " _I made some cookies and tea earlier. Do you want me to bring them over when I come by?_ "

"Hyung, you're perfect. You're the most perfect. The greatest to bits," Jongin praises, even in his feeble state. "Hey, wait. I'm sick. You just recovered. I don't want to infect you again. Even doing this—" He gestures to the video chat conversation they're currently having, "—is dangerous."

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. " _You can't pass illnesses like this_ ," he chuckles.

Jongin offers a brief smile and snickers, "Are you sure? I think I'm _sick_ of not being able to see you in person, hyung."

" _You punk_ ," Kyungsoo chides, although his grin tells otherwise. " _No, you're a dork. A giant, handsome dork_." He looks down, presumably checking the time at the corner of his screen, and says, " _I'm going to leave right now, okay? I'll be there soon, so don't worry_."

"Alright, hyung," Jongin hums. "Be safe."

What seems to be only a few seconds for Kyungsoo to arrive is actually a twenty minute nap on Jongin's part, only awakening as Kyungsoo's hand touches his forehead. When Kyungsoo realizes that Jongin is conscious, he grins that beautiful heart-shaped smile of his and whispers, "Hey, sleepyhead."

"You're vulnerable," murmurs Jongin, absently reaching out to poke Kyungsoo's cheek, face bare. "No protection here."

Kyungsoo grasps his hand, palms soft. "Don't worry about me," he says softly. "I've probably gotten resistant... or something."

"Something," sighs Jongin.

"Here, have a cookie." Jongin takes it with one hand, holding it in front of his face, and squints at it. "There's some tea in this canister, too." Jongin holds that with his other hand and puts it against his face. It's warm. "Do you want me to pour out some?" Kyungsoo asks. "Let me grab a mug."

Kyungsoo walks to the kitchen, searching through the cabinets. "Hyung," Jongin calls.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for liking me," Jongin proclaims. "I like you."

"Ditto," Kyungsoo responds, relaxed.

"Pokémon #132," Jongin recites suddenly. "Did you know that a popularly accepted theory is that Ditto is a failed experiment of Mew?"

"I did not know that," Kyungsoo says, returning to the couch. He takes the canister away from Jongin and pours the liquid into the mug, coincidentally Jongin's favorite that reads: _Remember your roots; Dye them next Thursday_. "Drink slowly," murmurs Kyungsoo.

"Tasty," Jongin hums, taking a sip. He bites a piece of the cookie and wiggles his shoulders. "Also tasty." As he's chewing, something dawns on him. "Kyungsoo hyung, how'd you get in the apartment? We don't have a spare key handy."

Kyungsoo grins and tucks his hair behind his ear, mindful of his glasses. "Yixing hyung let me in. He left a while ago — I think he's going on a date into with Jongdae."

Jongin blinks. "Wow."

"I know. They move fast, right?"

"No, that's not it." Jongin takes a deep breath in, thinning his lips. "I always seem to forget that I live with Yixing hyung."

Laughing, Kyungsoo pats the top of Jongin's hair and kisses his forehead. "Total dork," he whispers, and Jongin smiles fondly.

—

"How long have you had a crush on me?" Yixing asks, frank, as he fits six pieces of popcorn into his mouth.

Jongdae proceeds to choke on his diet Pepsi, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Pardon?" he squeaks.

Yixing grins widely. "Well, you asked me here so out of the blue — on a _Monday_. And to the movies, of all things! You must have a crush on me, right?"

"T-That— Movies are cheaper—" Jongdae shrinks back, embarrassed. "Was it obvious?"

"Nope! Barely even noticed!"

"Oh. Oh, that's... good." Jongdae visibly slumps in his seat, but he goes on anyways, "I always admired you. You're nice, and funny, and... I don't really know how I seemed to meet you through my worst friend. I like you."

Yixing breaks out into a laugh, patting Jongdae's knee, and says, "I was only kidding. Your reaction was priceless!" The look on Jongdae's face is completely mortified, and Yixing offers his hands up as truce. "Sorry, I wanted to be mean for a second." He adds as an afterthought, "Your expression just now was cute."

Jongdae is stunned, speechless. He lets out a weak "thank you" and attempts a smile.

"Thanks for bringing me here," Yixing proclaims. "I'm sincere this time, I swear."

The reassurance lifts Jongdae's spirit some. "Are you okay with the movie choice?" he asks. The previews haven't started yet; the preset commercials are still going on the screen. He had chosen _Inside Out_ , a movie that piqued his attention as Kyungsoo had gushed on and on about it in the dorm, saying how he needed to watch it with Jongin.

Yixing nods. "I really like Disney movies! At home, in China, me and my friends watched a lot together. Luhan and Yifan always argued over which were better at the time. Ah, I miss them." He rubs his neck sheepishly and peeks at Jongdae through his fringe. "Sorry, I get homesick every now and then."

Jongdae bites his straw, smiling. "It's not a problem. Missing home is only natural." Yixing happily agrees.

The lights darken as the previews slowly begin. One by one they pass, and Yixing nudges Jongdae's arm when _Zootopia_ , another Disney movie, finishes its preview. "Hey, once this comes out, wanna watch it with me?" Yixing asks quietly. "I'll pay."

"Seriously? Yeah!" Jongdae's enthusiasm is not appreciated by the other movie-watchers, who shush him instantly, so he lowers down his voice by clearing his throat and responding, "Yeah. I'd love to. Sounds like—"

"Another date," Yixing finishes cheekily. He slips a kernel into Jongdae's partially open mouth and sits back against the seat, grin etched prettily onto his features.

—

The moment Jongin feels well enough, he and Kyungsoo have a make-up first date at the zoo, after getting lunch at a sushi restaurant. They had originally planned to go to the amusement park, but by now it's too far into winter and has gotten too cold to walk outside for so long. At least at the zoo there are a lot of indoor habitats that are the perfect temperature for warming up. The pair has trouble deciding where to go, when they first arrive, given the numerous paths they can take and options they can choose.

"Where are we headed first?" Jongin asks, peering over Kyungsoo's shoulder to get a glance at the map.

Kyungsoo thins his lips. "I was thinking of following this path right here—" He traces the longest line on the pamphlet, "—because it'll let us go to most if not all the habitats that are currently available."

Jongin nods his head. "Okay, sounds like a plan. Lead the way, tour guide."

Snorting, Kyungsoo whacks Jongin in the chest with the map and smiles fondly. "Why am I the tour guide? You're the one who suggested this trip."

"The one who holds the map holds the power," Jongin declares. "Use it wisely." Kyungsoo rolls his eyes.

They follow their chosen path, gloved hands clasped with one another, and start at the medium-sized reptile house. Kyungsoo and Jongin are fascinated by every animal, but their favorite would have to be the exotic Komodo dragon. Kyungsoo is proud that he captures the best moments of the reptiles, like when the snake sticks its slithery tongue out or when the tortoise is mid-move. Jongin, on the other hand, can't seem to catch a break with all the animals hiding from his camera lens. Although Kyungsoo promises to send Jongin his pictures, he isn't completely satisfied and sulks until he catches the chameleons staring at him.

The next building they arrive at holds all the rodents of varied sizes. Jongin claims that he's seen over half of the wildlife here in the pet stores, mainly because almost everything looks like a puffier hamster — including the capybara, which Jongin says is "a giga-hamster" versus Kyungsoo's "level 10 enemy in MapleStory." There is a cave with vampire bats, too, and Jongin jokingly bares his teeth at Kyungsoo, which earns him a flick to the nose.

They pass by the meerkats, eagerly scurrying above and underground, and Kyungsoo tugs on Jongin's sleeve. "I think Chanyeol and Baekhyun would like coming here," he says suddenly. "Do we still have that coupon? We can give it to them the next time we meet up."

Jongin scorns, "Man, those two are so confusing!" He shakes his head in disbelief. "Are they seriously dating _again_?"

Kyungsoo shrugs as he takes a photo of a snuggling pair of meerkats. "They're doing... something." Pausing to send the picture to the two in question, he adds casually, "I like to be supportive. They're working things out."

"I don't have the willpower to deal with... whatever they are," Jongin says, humming. "You're impressive, hyung. Seriously."

The areas inside the next building that the larger mammals reside in are protected by glass. Jongin has fun watching the "big cats" — lions, tigers, and either cheetahs or jaguars (he can't tell the difference). He gets a little frightened when they prowl close to the barrier, so he uses Kyungsoo to cowardly hide behind until they saunter away. Kyungsoo pats his head. By the time they get to the bears Jongin is more relaxed and even touches his hand to the glass, where a grizzly bear is sleeping soundly against. The delighted noise he makes when the bear reflexively pats the glass with its paw causes Kyungsoo to grin widely.

Passing by several more habitats — giraffes, hippos, rhinos — equates to Jongin making Pokémon references, as well. Kyungsoo finds it endearing. But when they reach the extensively large building filled with sea creatures water-type-biased Kim Jongin overloads. There are sparkles in his eyes when he finds out one of the penguin's names is Piplup, and he and Kyungsoo take a commemorative photo together next to it as a proof-shot.

In the room over, the giant tank that takes up the entirety of the area dyes the walls and floors blue with its reflection. Dozens of species of fish swim around in the waters, the floors decorated with coral and seaweed. Not that many people are here, since kids seem to get bored of fish quite easily. It's a quiet spot for Kyungsoo and Jongin to relax, watch the stingrays float by, spend a comfortable silence with one another.

"We might've eaten your friends earlier," Jongin announces to the fish, head bowed, as the couple stand in front of the tank. "The sashimi at the restaurant was far too tempting."

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, but goes along with the impromptu act and proclaims, "We apologize. It shouldn't have been done."

"But they were really delicious so we may eat them again in the future," continues Jongin.

Laughing, Kyungsoo adds, "We hope to have your understanding." He does a bow to a school of fish that may or may not be tuna, and Jongin hooks his arm around the elder's shoulders fondly.

"I think those people over there are staring," Kyungsoo whispers, motioning his head at the nuclear family of four — a mother, a father, and two little girls — at the other side of the tank. The children point eagerly at the lionfish and mantis shrimp, but their parents scrutinize Kyungsoo and Jongin very openly.

"Do you think it's because of us being cute or our earnest apology to the sea life?" Jongin wonders aloud.

"Honestly—" Kyungsoo plants a kiss on Jongin's cheek, "—I haven't got a clue."

(Roughly five seconds later the children of the nuclear family run up to them, exclaiming, "Why'd you say sorry to the fish!? They can't hear you!" and Kyungsoo can only cover his face in humiliation while Jongin unsuccessfully tries to explain, "We wronged them.")

—

Zitao and Sehun have their anniversary dinner at a high-class bistro, both of them dressed in fitted suits and ties. From afar, the couple looks like a pair of spoiled rich boys, with their glistening watches and sharp visuals. Sehun continuously tugs at his collar and complains about the stiffness, as Zitao checks them in, and only stops whining once they get their appetizers.

"I'm melting," Zitao moans, through a mouthful of an Italian dish that he can't pronounce. "Babe, try this." He holds out his fork for Sehun, and his boyfriend leans forward to take a bite. "Really awesome, right?"

Sehun closes his eyes and nods slowly. "Tastes like money," he says. Zitao chuckles.

The rest of the night goes by smoothly. As they're eating their entrees, Zitao spots a familiar duo across the restaurant. He puts down his fork and points as discreetly as he can. "Hey, isn't that...?"

"Holy shit, that's Jongin and Kyungsoo hyung!" Sehun exclaims. Their two friends turn their heads and, with quite unnatural smiles, wave awkwardly. "Oh, they acknowledged us," Sehun says, returning the greeting.

So much for being _discreet_. "They must be on their own date," Zitao murmurs. He sighs wistfully. "Ah, young love, such innocence. They've bloomed beautifully, don't you agree? It seems like just yesterday they started going out, but here they are — almost at two months."

Sehun wrinkles his nose. "Don't make us sound like poetic, doting parents. I'm too lax for those responsibilities," grumbles Sehun. "Come on, Zitao. Bring your focus back on me."

Zitao swipes his tongue over his lower lip, catching a droplet of sauce from spilling off his mouth, and leans his head on his propped arm. "I'm all eyes and ears," he hums.

Reaching inside his jacket pocket, Sehun takes out a small box adorned with a silver bow and pushes it across the tabletop. "Happy anniversary, Zitao."

Carefully, Zitao undoes the ribbon and opens the box, taking out a long silver chain with a golden infinity charm hanging out it. "This is gorgeous, Sehun," Zitao says breathlessly. "I love it." Sehun has his lips pursed. "Hey, I didn't forget about you. Stop making that face."

Zitao hands him a leather wallet, embroidered a wonderful mahogany color. "A new money holder to hold my money," Sehun trills. Zitao isn't amused. "I'm being playful." He gazes at his boyfriend affectionately and coos, "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I'll use it every day."

Reaching across the table, Zitao interlaces their fingers together and smiles. "Buy me dessert." Sehun scoffs, but in the end they share a crème _brûlée_ and a molten chocolate cake, enough to fill their hearts with warmth and veins with sugar.

—

"This will be a fair game," declares Kyungsoo. He has his head in Jongin's lap, as he lies on his side, and carefully moves his circle pad around on his 3DS XL to choose a character to play. A few days ago, he had gotten Super Smash Bros. 4, and Jongin (who claims to be the best Pokémon master of SSB4) has been itching to beat him in a Smash Battle. Do Kyungsoo, regional champ of the Super Smash Brothers N64 tournament as an elementary schooler, will not go down easily.

Jongin grins cockily. "That's why I didn't invite anybody else," he asserts, "because they're all cheaters who want to use silly items instead of melee it, traditional-style." To prove his seriousness, he turns off all the items.

"But the Smash Ball," whines Kyungsoo.

"Oh. Right." One click and the Smash Ball is the only item set to appear. "Who do you think I am?"

"Lucario," answers Kyungsoo, cheekily covering his smile with his screen.

"Ha ha, very funny," Jongin says, dry. "Come on, _Robin_. I'm ready to win this." Selecting the stage is easy: Final Destination, where players can test their abilities with nothing but a stagnant floating platform.

Kyungsoo quirks an eyebrow as the game loads. "I'd love to see you try," he declares competitively. The countdown begins, and just before Kyungsoo can prepare himself for battle Jongin swoops down to peck him on the nose, successfully stunning the elder frozen. Jongin takes the opportunity to land a grab and a few hits, snickering evilly.

"That was a cheap move and you know it!" cries Kyungsoo. Later, after Jongin loses all his lives as Kyungsoo wins with only one remaining, Kyungsoo requests another game that will not have a lick of cheating in it. Jongin takes out Mario Kart and, well, that'll have to do.


End file.
